A Year Ago

 A year ago, we were sent home from work for two weeks or possibly three. When I went to the grocery store that evening to get food for two weeks, the shelves were empty. The entire produce section was empty. I don’t think people knew that fresh vegetables and fruit have a short lifespan. Toilet paper was like buying gold because it was nowhere to be found. That makes sense because the grocery store shelves were empty. 

I love being outside of my home. I have sat in coffee shops to grade papers and to write. We were sent home to stay home. Restaurants and coffee shops were closing. Our churches would all have to be online. I would have to work while actually being at home. I thought I could grade papers and watch the college basketball tournament. Then, they cancelled the basketball tournament. I knew then that life would change and some old habits would be just that, old. 

Los Angeles is one of the last cities in America to reopen. This week for the first time in a year, we will be able to dine indoors, go to the gym indoors, and go to an indoor movie theater. I have become appreciative of the little things in life. I have become appreciative of my home and family. This last year has not been easy, but we never learn when the tasks are easy, and there were some valuable lessons that we should have learned in this last year, but if we want life to be easy and catered to our own desires, we might miss them. 

Lesson #1: We need to think of others over ourselves. I may not like wearing a mask, but I don’t wear it for me, but for those around me who truly fear this virus. Screaming in their face, even on social media, that they are wrong and stupid is not helpful. In fact, it’s wrong and not Christ-like. We need to also take care of our elderly…all of us. We need to look out for our neighbors and not hoard. That’s all part of putting others over ourselves. It’s not that we don’t love ourselves. Once we love ourselves, we are able to love others, even those that think and believe differently than us. 

Lesson #2: Homeschooling is not as easy as everyone thinks. If you are a parent, student, teacher, or person with children who did not have to do any type of distance learning, you have no idea what the struggle is. (If that is you, refer back to #1.)  I honestly thought I would love to teach online, until I actually had to do it. Maybe I would enjoy teaching kids who are used to being homeschooled, have Wi-Fi and will have their cameras on at all times, but Zoom School is horrible. I am a proponent for equity in education. Along with social promotion, Zoom School is another inequity for our most vulnerable students who need equity in education. So, to my friends who have homeschooled their children and succeeded, you are part of my list of heroes. 

Lesson #3: Taking walks around our neighborhoods can be a great experience. While on walks, I have prayed, discovered solutions to my problems, and met people from my neighborhood. Even in the city, I have discovered God’s beauty in his creation with some fabulous sunsets. God’s creation is all around us. We just have to take the time to recognize it. 

Lesson #4: Art is essential. Whether our art consists of actual painting, drawing, writing, singing, or playing an instrument, or if it is in the form of movies, television, or books, cooking, baking, knitting, or sewing, art is an essential when we are locked in our homes. Many people did not just sit back and watch art that was made, but actually created art and are beginning to see the fruits of their labor. As God is our creator, we can deduct that he is a creator of art and proponent for us to create and enjoy art. 

Lesson #5: Church is not a building. Church is a body of believers that gather together, whether they are in an official building or not. We do not GO to church. We ARE the church and we GO to the world and bring the church to the world, even if going means we go virtually. Believe it or not, the church stepped up while most people were complaining on social media about politics. One church in Los Angeles, (Dream Center) stepped up and made sure that all of the students in the school district of Los Angeles, that serves over 600,000 students, had meals that they would miss because of school closures. They also provided supplies to families because the stores were empty. Churches served and most were unknown because most of us were more concerned of arguing whether or not the virus was real or not. Maybe, the church should be less concerned about politics and become more visible in the community and step up to serve the needs of the community. Then we will all discover that the church is not a building and is essential to the community. 

Overall, we learned that we need to love God (nature), love others, and ourselves. Love. Love is what we hopefully learned is what the world needs. We don’t need all the junk we discuss on social media, but we need love. We need the kind of love that Jesus has. For those of us who have it, we need to share it. For this next year, let us show this love and see where we are in a year from now.